Vibrant Colors

Vibrant (natural) colors in food signify nutrition, not to mention it just looks good. Todays dinner was full of color, crunch and flavor. Portabello Mushroom Tacos with Salsa Verde were not only pretty, but they were a big hit. They were accompanied by a side of Lighter Refried Beans. I'm always thrilled when J and the boys really enjoy something I've fixed and today was no exception.

I'm not really up for typing out the recipe, but I will tell you what's in it. The ingredients are: portbella mushrooms, sala verde (tomatillos, poblano pepper, garlic, onion, cilantro, agave, salt, pepper) avocado, cabbage, tomatoes and corn tortillas. It's really tasty and simple to make.

Canning Pears

While yesterday was spent on the farm, today was spent in the kitchen canning. I picked a lot of pears. The funny thing is that I don't really care for pears. IJ reminded me of this as I was peeling, cutting and coring the basketful that I had brought home. Know what I told him? "I think I'll like these better because I picked them." I don't know if either one of us believed that, but it sounded good. It took quite awhile, but when I was done I was rewarded with 12 quarts of canned pears. These were canned with no added sugar, just 100% white grape juice. I'll let you know how they turned out.

A Day on the Farm

Today began a bit overcast but soon the sky cleared and the sun warmed up quite nicely. The boys and I headed about 45 minutes outside town to spend the day with my friend Rachel and her children on their 40 acre farm. What an adventure we had. I can't decide what was more fun, so I will not even try. Instead I'll tell you all about it and let you decide.

We arrived later than planned after making an unexpected detour to the dentist this morning. I won't bore you with the details, but luckily the visit didn't last too long. As we headed south and east of the city we watched as city streets gave way to lush green fields. Our first view of the nearly 200 year old farm house and the surrounding beauty brought whispered "wow's" from both IJ and JJ. I had barely stopped the van when we were greeted by the two oldest boys and their dog Patty. The boys had not seen oneanother for quite awhile, nearly a year, and all four were thrilled to be together again. The moms were quickly forgotten as my boys were whisked away to explore the grounds of this haven our dear friends are blessed to call home. Take a look at some of the cool things they saw and did.

Picking muscadine grapes

Checking out the chickens
Riding the zip line

I really thought I didn't have a favorite, but every time I look at this picture I feel joy from head to toe. My boys were having an absolutely awesome time swimming in the pond with the dog and all of the catfish, bass and brim. They were able to catch a couple too.
Earlier in the day they went hunting, bow and arrows in hand, for wild dogs and whatever variety of snake they could find. Luckily they didn't find any dogs and only one snake that they all swore was a copperhead. Yikes! Whatever it was no one was injured, so I was quite happy about that. On the downside, IJ and Rachel's oldest son found themselves on a fire ant hill and came running inside to soak their feet in soothing baking soda water.

My tour of the farm included a garden chock full of wonderful produce. Rachel is such a lovely person and generous beyond belief. We walked through the garden picking tomatoes, squash, banana peppers and muscadines.

After depositing those goodies we grabbed another basket and headed to the orchard to pick apples and pears. The branches of the pear tree were so full they hung to the ground.

The result: I came home with bags of freshly picked produce untouched by pesticides and memories of a day with a great friend.

The View From My Front Steps (10 minutes ago)

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him:

9 "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you

10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth.

11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."
12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:

13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds,

15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.

16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

Saturday Morning at the Farmer's Market

I didn't think to take the camera with us this morning to capture it, but Saturday morning at the Farmer's Market is one of my favorite family outings. I get inspiration from the variety of colors, the diversity of people and the freshness of the food.



Our mission this morning was to find fruit. Currently there are lots of peaches and blackberries, two of our favorites as well as humungous watermelons. While we passed on the blackberries this week, the peaches and melons were a must have.




Inspiration hit me somewhere between the baby bokchoy ($1 for 5) and the chinese eggplant. A few minutes later I had ginger root, bean sprouts and mushrooms. Sunday will be a nice day for stir fried vegetables.

Further inspiration came in a 4oz container of fresh goat cheese with garlic and chives. The mounds of tomatoes had been calling me from the time I stepped from the van and now they had a purpose. Can you see it? Farm fresh tomatoes, goat cheese and basil (straight from my patio garden) all atop a lightly toasted foccacia roll. Lunch was served.



Does summer get any better than this?

I Love To Cook

but from time to time I do need a break. Today I get one. Every Sunday evening we meet with our Life Group for Bible study and dinner. Last nights dinner was baked potatoes and chili. The thoughtful couple who provided the chili often thinks of us. They prepared a pot of delicious vegetarian chili along with the meat chili. There was plenty for us to eat last night and more than enough to bring home for today's dinner. To top it off, the family who provided the baked potatoes insisted that we bring home the leftover potatoes as they had many more at home.

Voila! Monday night dinner is served and my food for the week is stretched another day.

Yummy Roasted Veggies

I have discovered that vegetables I thought I really didn't like are actually among some of my favorites. It all comes down to preparation. Roasting brings out amazing flavor in so many vegetables. Root vegetables, like rutabaga and parsnips become sweeter and more mellow. Brussel sprouts, which I would not touch, are now edible. JJ actually begs for them. Asparagus was another that I avoided because it was always over cooked. I now love it so much that I eat it whenever I can fit it into the budget. Thus the reason for this post.

Yesterday I ran into Harris Teeter and discovered asparagus for $.99 per pound! This was amazing and boy was I glad to have an extra $3 in my pocket. The boys and I quickly scooped up 3 pounds and headed home. The question then became when to have it, and what else to serve. I remembered a head of cauliflower in the fridge and along with seasoned brown basmati rice, today's menu was decided. Cauliflower has always been a favorite of mine, but even more so now that I've discovered this recipe for Oven Roasted Cauliflower with Rosemary and Garlic.

This is so good! The first time I made it I didn't think it would make it to the dinner table because the boys were eating it from the pan like it was popcorn! Definitely give this recipe a try!

Looking for Some Sunshine

I'm just going to pretend that it hasn't been 6 months since I've posted anything here. Writing is not my strong suit, therefore blogging is work! Yet, I just had to share this cute picture I took of JJ this morning. This child loves sunshine and every chance he gets is spent trying to soak it up. Here, he has pulled the coffee table over to the patio door in order to be in the suns path while completing an assignment. I loved watching it, and thought I would share.

So, this got me to thinking about how the Son radiates his love to us all the time. We (I) don't have to look for a ray here or a spot there. The Son shines everywhere, he wants to illuminate all of the dark places in my life. In turn he wants us to be "the light of the world" as he tells us in Matthew 5:14. He doesn't want just any light though. What good is a light that is not lit? Jesus wants us to be lit and on display, bringing light to all those around us. So, let your light shine (5:15-16), you never know who might be looking for some Son shine.